In this edition of The American Mind podcast, host Ryan Williams sits down with Ronald “R.J.” Pestritto, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, to discuss Progressivism: how it came to be, its theoretical and political impact, and what it means for us today.

Since its arrival on the scene at the turn of the 20th Century, Progressivism has transformed American politics. But one cannot fully appreciate this shift without an understanding of the Founders’ view of human nature, government, and justice—and how the Progressive vision for America seeks to unravel it.

Pestritto also discusses small “L” liberalism—a topic very much en vogue today on the Right—and how it came to be dissociated with its original meaning of the protection of rights, which the Founders embraced.

Of course, no discussion of Progressivism is complete without considering the Administrative State.  Pestritto and Williams talk about the rise of the bureaucracy in America and what it means for our constitutional order.  

*** 

Recommended Reading: The German Stamp on Wilson’s Administrative Progressivism

Visit The American Mind for more great content.

And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org